The Iowa Senate has approved Gov. Kim Reynolds’ appointee to the Iowa Board of Regents, Kurt Tjaden, on April 29.
Tjaden is an alumnus of Iowa State and a former professor at the Ivy College of Business. He currently serves as the president and CEO of the Iowa State University Alumni Association.
“I am honored by this appointment and appreciate the confidence of the Governor,” Tjaden stated in a press release. “I look forward to serving with my fellow board members to ensure our Regent institutions are providing the best education possible for our graduates.”
Additionally, Tjaden serves on the ISU Foundation Board of Directors and the Ivy College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council.
According to the Board of Regents, under Iowa Code chapter 262, “Not more than five members can be of the same political party.”
With the addition of Tjaden, a registered independent, the Board has five Republican members, one Democrat and two independents.
According to his member biography, Tjaden retired in 2022 from HNI Corporation, a large office furniture manufacturer based in Muscatine. He served as CFO and then senior vice president and president-international for the company.
Tjaden also has held senior positions at several U.S. companies, including Procter & Gamble and Gateway, Inc. He was also the CFO and executive vice president at Pure Fishing and Whirlpool Asia’s vice president and CFO.
“Kurt is a proven leader with decades of success at the highest levels of business management for numerous companies on an international scale,” Reynolds said in the release. “I know he will bring his extensive executive leadership skills in operations and finance to the Board of Regents to ensure we are preparing our students for success as efficiently and effectively as possible.”
Student Regent Lucy Gipple from the University of Northern Iowa and returning members David Barker and James “JC” Risewick also had their terms extended.